Camy Tang - Treacherous Intent

Elisabeth and Liam raised their heads up to peek out. The two Bagsics were cutting across the lawn between two apartment buildings and running toward the street. The SUV tried to chase them but couldn’t fit in the grassy alleyway, and so it raced out of the small parking lot.

Elisabeth didn’t wait. She started the engine and cleared the parking lot, headed in the opposite direction from the other men and the SUV.

“What happened?” Liam asked.

Elisabeth didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be thinking hard. When she stopped at a stoplight, she finally said, “This might be bad.”

“What do you mean? What did the men in the SUV say? They were Filipino, right?”

She nodded. “They said, ‘What are you doing here, Bagsic scum?’”

“The men knew they were Bagsic gang members?” Liam ran through the list of who would be familiar with the gang colors. Law enforcement. People who lived in the area the Bagsics ruled. Drug addicts who bought the Bagsics’ crystal meth. And... He grew cold. “Who were those men?”

Elisabeth chewed roughly on her lower lip, something Liam noticed she did when she was stressed.

“I couldn’t say for sure, but—the Bagsics yelled back something like, ‘You’ve got some nerve, Toomies.’ I think that’s what they said. And then they started insulting their parentage.”

“Toomies? Who are they?”

“I don’t know, but did you notice anything about the hands on the men in the SUV?”

“They both had wide tattoos around their wrists. The tattoos looked similar.”

“I think they were. I only got a glimpse of the design, but I think the tattoos were Baybayin.”

“What?”

“It’s a form of ancient Filipino script. It’s gotten popular for tattoos.”

“And both those men had the same design.” Liam blew out a deep breath. Rather than colors—or perhaps in addition to colors—they had tattoos. “Those men in the SUV were gang members. Some rivals to the Bagsics.”

The light turned green and Elisabeth drove on. She gave Liam a wary look. “But why are they in Sonoma?”

FOUR

“All my efforts to keep my home address private, and the gang found my apartment within a few hours.” Elisabeth told herself to breathe deeply, but the frustration and anger made her breaths short and harsh.

Liam kept looking behind them to make sure they weren’t followed. “They probably followed Kalea from the shelter.”

She knew that, but hearing him say it made a chill pass over her. Would Kalea be all right?

Liam continued, “If she hadn’t come here on her way home, they might have followed her home and then attacked her to make her tell them where you live.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m just grateful to God that she stopped by your apartment.”

What did God have to do with it? Elisabeth almost asked out loud, but stopped herself. She was being overly emotional after what had happened. “We need to call Detective Carter. Maybe he can send a patrol car to watch over Kalea’s house.”

“We need to call him about the attack anyway.” He took out his cell phone.

While Liam explained to Detective Carter what had happened, Elisabeth concentrated on calming down so she could think clearly. Long-term planning didn’t come automatically to her, but she’d worked hard to learn to stop and think ahead. She took in one breath through her nose, then another.

The gang was clearly prepared to target Elisabeth in order to find Joslyn. In order to get the Bagsics off her back, she still needed to find out more about Joslyn, her ex-boyfriend and the murder she’d witnessed. She and Liam needed an internet connection and a safe place to do their work. But where? She didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

Liam got off the phone. “Detective Carter said he’ll send someone to Kalea’s house. He’s also sending someone to your apartment right away. I told him we’d meet the officer there.”

Elisabeth nodded and turned the car around.

The apartment doors were still unlocked, but otherwise it looked the same as when they’d left. Officer Joseph Fong arrived quickly. He was the same policeman who had arrived first at the women’s shelter this morning, and who had given chase to the escaping gang members.

“Hey, Liam, twice in one day,” the young policeman joked. “I’m going to think you’re my fans.”

“Or you’re ours,” Liam said with a smile.

Officer Fong cleared Elisabeth’s apartment for them, but it was empty, as they had expected. He took their statements.

“At least they didn’t do any damage to the place,” the officer said. “From what you said, it sounds like they left to chase after you two practically as soon as they broke in.”

“There were other guys who showed up,” Liam said, and told him about the souped-up SUV who chased after the gang members. Liam and Elisabeth both tried to draw the scrollwork they’d seen on the side of the SUV, but both their efforts were pretty bad.

“Were any of those the same guys from this morning?” Officer Fong asked.

Liam told him about the pockmarked man he’d recognized, and confirmed that both the men who had broken in were dressed in purple and gray.

“If I’d known this morning they were Bagsics, I’d have used a different tactic when trying to drive after them.” Officer Fong gave a huff of frustration. “Bagsics are known for their driving skills.”

“That’s right, you were in LAPD before you came to Sonoma,” Liam said.

The officer nodded. “When I heard your statement about what the men were wearing, I recognized the gang colors right away and told Detective Carter.”

“What else can you tell us about the Bagsics?”

“They’re not a huge gang, and they’re better organized than most,” Officer Fong said. “The leadership is smart, but the younger captains are more impulsive, and it causes friction. At least, that’s what the situation was when I was down in L.A.”

“They’re into meth dealing?” Liam asked.

“Big-time. The LAPD has been trying to crack down on the Bagsics’ ephedrine supply—the precursor for meth production—from the Philippines, but they haven’t been able to stop their shipments into the Port of Los Angeles. Because it’s the Bagsics, we should have a patrol car check up on you—”

“I’m not staying here,” Elisabeth said. “I’ll find somewhere to lie low.”

Officer Fong looked uncertain about her answer, but then his police radio crackled. “All right. I’ll get going. Let us know if you need anything.” With a wave, the policeman headed back to his squad car and drove off.

“I feel exposed,” Elisabeth said as she and Liam went back inside her apartment. “I don’t want to stay here now that the gang knows where I live. What if they show up with guns blazing and one of my neighbors gets injured by a stray bullet?”

Liam nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. My friend Nathan just bought a house on the outskirts of Sonoma. If we take the time to make sure we’re not followed, we can stay there for a little while and the gang won’t find us.”

Liam explained that Nathan was ex-LAPD and now worked as head of security for a high-end apartment complex. She would guess his home security would be good and that he would be prepared if the gang found them at his house. “Does he have any family living with him?”

“Not yet. He’s getting married in the spring, but his fiancée lives with her parents right now.” Liam got out his cell phone. “Why don’t you get what you need and I’ll call to ask him?”

Elisabeth unlocked her hard drive and put it in her wall safe. She then packed an overnight bag.

Liam got off the phone. “Nathan said it’s fine for us to stay with him. Ready to go?”